A Tale of Two Teams

In light of their recent NIT successes, Washington State University and the University of Colorado will add much-needed depth in next year's Pac-12 Conference

As the NIT Tournament progresses into the Final Four, two teams who will be matched up next year in the PAC-12 conference are still alive in the tournament.

Washington State University and the University of Colorado will both play their respective opponents Tuesday night. The WSU Cougars have won games against Long Beach State University, Oklahoma State University and Northwestern University to secure a spot in the Final Four. Meanwhile, the Colorado Buffaloes beat Texas Southern University, University of California and Kent State University in the tournament.

The Cougars will play Wichita State University and the Buffaloes will play the University of Alabama on Tuesday in Madison Square Garden. The winners of each game will play in the NIT Final.

The Buffalos, under the new leadership of first-year coach Tad Boyle have amassed a 20-13 record. Furthermore they are 13^th overall in points-per-game among all NCAA teams this season with 79.6.

What does the success of the Cougars and Buffaloes mean for the Pac-12 next year? The 2011-2012 basketball season is going to be full of excitement. With the Cougars and Buffaloes advancement to the Final Four in the NIT, in addition to University of Arizona’s upset victories in the NCAA tournament ensures for a fun season next year. Add in to the mix, University of Washington, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Southern California’s accomplishments in this year’s Pac-10 conference and their entry into the NCAA tournament, next season will be filled with a handful of high-caliber teams.